LadyCool walked around to the other side to get a better look.
"Looks like a grey" she said, staring into the black convex eyes.
"A what ?"
"A grey alien", LC explained, "They're supposed to be aliens anyway. They supposedly hang around places where UFO's have been seen".
KayEm pulled the cloth farther down. The creature had no discriminating marks. No hair, no finger nails and no genitalia.
"Poor bastard", muttered Valerius noting the latter.
"What's this ?"
KayEm leaned over the bulbous head, pointing towards what looked like a metal implant at the side of the creature's temple.
"Could be a new kind of body piercing", Pisky said, grinning.
KayEm stuck out her tongue at the pixy, showing her little green tongue ornament.
"I still can't believe you actually did that", Pisky said, shaking his head in amazement. "You can feck that idea. I had enough bits of metal stuck in me when I was in hospital back in two thousand. There's no way I'd volunteer have a spike stuck in my tongue !"
KayEm grinned, she'd heard that many times.
"I think its like a metal syringe", Sarah said, bending down and biting her lower lip. "like one of those things the docs used to use when they were taking bone marrow samples to give to people with leukemia".
Pisky moved closer. Reaching out, he touched the cold metal. With a grimace, he removed the implement which came free with a wet squelch.
"Ewwww !" Sarah said, moving away. "It's got green blood !"
Pisky lifted the syringe and lifted it up to get a better look. Green liquid shined wetly on the needle, and dripped onto the white tiled floor.
"What's this all about then ?" asked Valerius, fascinated with the find. "Were they giving it some kind of innoculation ?"
"No", Pisky said, squeezing the plunger and watching as more of the liquid dripped from the implement.
"They were taking stuff from it".
"Like what ?", asked LadyCool, desperately trying to keep Phoebe from licking up the drips of alien blood.
"Blood, brain matter ? ... feck knows" Pisky put the syringe on the side of the table while KayEm covered up the alien corpse.
"Wow. I just saw an alien", Sarah said incredulously as the enormity of what she had seen hit her. Of course no one outside this room would ever believe her, but that wasn't the point. Aliens existed and she had seen one.
Pisky took a deep breath. "We need to forget our grey friend", he said, "What we need to do is get Helena if she's here and then bugger off before the chups wake up", He looked down to where Phoebe was struggling to get away from LC. "Did you bring something of Helena's for the dog to track ?"
"There's a sandal in my bag", came the reply, "But I really don't know if Phoebe can ..."
A spine chilling shriek came from just outside the door, making LC lose her grip on the dog and Pisky to break wind. A chupacabra stood in the doorway hissing evilly, its tongue whipping out, fangs shining in the artificial light. Suddenly it leaped, heading away from the room and down the corridor.
"# !!!", KayEm exclaimed, spinning around and heading towards the door. The creatures claws scraped the tiled floor as it scampered along the corridor heading towards the cavern. It had almost made the safety of a ninety degree turn when KayEm fired her newly acquired weapon. With a cry of pain and dismay, the chupacabra blew apart like an overfilled balloon.
"Cool", said KayEm, hefting her rifle and returning to the room with a grin on her face.
Pisky smiled back, before returning to the point in hand. "OK, let the dog see the rabbit".
Sarah looked confused. "What rabbit ?"
Pisky shook his head, "It's a saying. Meaning lets get going".
"Oh" Sarah sighed. It was going to be a very long day.
LadyCool had just taken Helena's sandal from her bag when a slight creak caused all present to freeze.
Pisky pointed to the source and smoothly drew his pistol. KayEm sighted down the barrel of her rifle while LC grabbed hold of Phoebe. The door at the far corner of the room began to open.
Sarah walked slowly towards KayEm and drew her own pistol while Valerius slipped his gladius out of its scabbard. Slowly, inexorably, the door opened.
A rather dishevelled woman stood blocking the view to the outer room. Her hair had slipped from its clips and hung down to her shoulders. Her gown was torn and her stole was missing. Her left arm was gashed and blood had dripped down to her fingers, although the damage had been partly remedied by the application of a bandage. With a cry of recognition, Helena rushed forward and threw herself into Valerius' arms, while Pisky and his companions lowered their weapons and smiled.
"So we didn't need the dog after all", said Pisky. Phoebe sat on her haunches and glared.
Taking control, Helena detached herself from Valerius and strode rapidly to the door she had recently emerged from. Seeing that no one was following, she turned and, with a look of desperation, pointed inside. "In there ... please".
Pisky and Valerius moved to follow with KayEm taking up the rear. Helena swept through the doorway into a small utility room. Inside were boxes of equipment, an upended chair and small water bottle. Sitting against the far wall was a bloodstained figure. His torso was roughly bandaged with blood seeping through, while his right leg was badly mangled. His face was white with pain and shock, his dark cropped hair contrasting with the paleness of his skin.
"Can you help him ?", Helena begged, crouching beside his side and placing a hand on his undamaged arm.
"I'll see what I can do", KayEm answered, looking around for something that could be of use.
"What's your name ?", she asked the man, in an attempt to guage his level of consciousness.
"Augustus", Valerius spat. "Our old legate".
The man lifted his head and with a struggle managed to focus on the group.
"Valerius", he said, his voice straining to be heard.
"Bastard", muttered Valerius and stormed out of the room.
"Forgive me for asking", said the pixy, "But aren't you supposed to be dead ?"
Augustus nodded his head then closed his eyes as waves of nausea struck him.
"Nice bedside manner", snapped KayEm, glaring at the pixy as she began rummaging through a medicine drawer.
Turning to Helena, Augustus lifted his hand and touched her face. "I'm not going to make it", he said sadly. Helena closed her eyes as a heart wrenching sob tore itself from her throat. "It's ok", the legate said, "I suppose I deserve it after all that I've done". Helena grabbed his hand and held it tightly.
KayEm moved towards the stricken man, a hyperdermic in her hand. "Morphine", she said, injecting the painkiller directly into his veins. Augustus closed his eyes and sighed as his agony receeded.
"Before all this began", Augustus said, "I was a Catholic. Brought up in the faith of my father and his father before him". He held up his hand to stop any argument from Helena.
"I want to make my confession before I die".
Pisky righted the chair and handed it to KayEm before sitting cross-legged on the floor. "I'm not a priest", he said. "Our priest is back in ..."
"What religion do you follow ?"
"Pixianity", replied the pixy, "But I was brought up in the same faith as you"
"Do you judge people ?"
"Not usually"
"Then I will make my confession to you and hope for the best"
Augustus struggled to sit up, with Helena supporting him as he leaned towards the pixy.
"My name is Robert Gilbey", he began. "Cousin of Zara de Mornay of the Order of Azrael".
If he was expecting a response he was sorely disappointed as Pisky merely nodded.
"I won't bore you with my history too much", he continued, "Only as much as is needed in order that you understand". He winced slightly as pain pulsed through his mangled leg.
"I did all the standard stuff. Eton, Oxford, a stint in the Grenadiers". He took a deep breath and licked his lips. Pisky took a small bottle of 'Best Pixyland' from his backpack and offered it to him. Augustus drank deeply, coughing as the dry cider poured down his throat.
"After about five years, I was approached by ... well, it doesn't matter, he's dead now anyway ... He worked for Lord Carrington and was an acquaintance of my cousin"
A shiver went down the pixy's spine. He held up his hand for silence; "Carrington ? ... Kissinger's sidekick ?"
Augustus grinned. "I see you've done your homework"
Pisky nodded, the cogs of his mind whirring into action although he kept his eyes on the stricken legate.
Augustus continued; "I was recruited for some hush-hush business - this was about five years ago - You already know what the goal was. You're living in it. One World Government".
"Corporate takeover"
"You think that's all ?"
The pixy shook his head. "The corporations are just the middle of the pyramid", he said. "With the Illuminati at the top".
"And above them ?" Augustus smiled.
"Nine foot tall reptilian shapechangers ?" The pixy said sarcastically.
"Worse"
Augustus suddenly tensed up as a spasm of pain ripped through his body. He coughed, and a trickle of blood rolled down his chin. Helena wiped it off with her stole which had been cast aside earlier on and was lying on the floor.
"Enough", Augustus said, "I need to finish. Then maybe I can die with some measure of peace".
Pisky shifted his position, his back cracked and he muttered a curse. Augustus waited until the pixy was comfortable before continuing.
"I was recruited by 'E.N. Medical'", he explained, "Supposedly a Pharmaceutical Company supplying medicines to the Military. Of course it was a front. They ... we ... were actually involved with the creation of bio-weapons."
"E.N. Medical ?"
"Named after Enki and Ninhursag, the Annunaki gene-splicers from Sumerian legend".
"Am I to assume that E.N. Medical made the chups ?" Pisky was skeptical.
"Not originally", Augustus explained. "They have been around for years. We just ... upgraded them".
'Fecking marvellous" muttered the pixy, "Thanks so much doctor Frankenstein !"
"I wasn't in on the actual cloning", Augustus explained, "I was responsible for the tests".
Pisky closed his eyes. He suddenly knew exactly what Augustus was going to say. From the look on KayEm's face, the same had occurred to her at the same time.
'We needed to get a group of people isolated from the mainstream", the legate explained, "in order to test the 'abilities' of the C2 ... the 'Chupacabra Mk 2'. Butser was the perfect place. If we could get people living there before DNA666 was released, we would have a full contigent of healthy subjects ready and waiting".
Helena's face went white. She pulled away, a look of utter disbelief on her face. "You set us up ? ... you fooking well set us up !!!" She moved over to KayEm, who placed a hand on her shoulder to steady her as the enormity of what Augustus had done sank in. "I thought you loved me", she whispered. a tear rolling down her left cheek.
"I did ... I do", came the reply, "I didn't know you would be selected to go to Butser. I didn't expect to fall in love with you again. But when I saw you, I knew that I had to send you away. I never in a million years expected you to actually find anyone to help you. I thought you'd wander around for a while before coming back. At that time the tests would be finished, we would have both left here and gone to London, our futures secure".
KayEm glared at the wounded man; "So you sent Helena back and watched the first few tests ... correct ?"
"Yes", Augustus replied. "First just one at a time. A few children taken, maybe a woman. A man tilling the fields. Who knows. However, aware that the villagers would be terrified and even consider fleeing, I had previously sent out a man to discover the whereabouts of a particularly vexing group of mercenaries - ex squaddies who had taken to roaming the countryside not long after the plague hit - He 'suggested' that they join him and offered a considerable reward. They, of course, accepted it and became the Praetorians".
"And you pretended to be against the whole thing, letting Caligula think it was all his idea ?". KayEm shook her head, a look of pure disgust on her face.
"Exactly. And once Actaeonis and I faked my death, Gaius did exactly what I expected. He declared himself Emperor". Augustus chuckled to himself, then coughed. More blood leaked from his mouth but this time Helena didn't move to clean it away.
"Who was the poor bugger the chups ate instead of you then ?", the pixy asked.
"A medtech who got to close to his charges. Although it did save us having to hunt for a suitable look-alike"
The pixy stretched his aching back; "What was that all about ?"
"We were ready to run a multiple test - twenty C2's", Augustus explained. "Actaeonis and myself faked my death. I returned to the facility to oversee the proceedings and the day before the test was planned, Actaeonis was supposed to lead the Praetorians in a search for the murderous 'Beast' who had killed their beloved legate".
"So what went wrong ?", Pisky asked, intrigued. "They were all still there when we arrived".
"According to our pet Praetorian, Actaeonis was losing his nerve. A scout had seen you heading towards Butser the day before and Actaeonis held back, waiting for you to arrive. Later on he was seen talking to you. Your presence was already unexpected, although welcome in a way since it meant that our C2s could be tested against firearms earlier than expected". Augustus coughed. Blood trickled down his chin. He started to shiver. "However, Actaeonis couldn't be allowed to jeopardise the experiment and was removed from the equation".
"By framing Helena", the pixy muttered.
"That was an oversight", the legate explained, "Our man was supposed to use a weapon belong to one of you. Not Helena. He didn't expect Helena to be staying at the same roundhouse as yourselves. Obviously she didn't fancy spending the night as guest of the charming Caligula".
"So he just grabbed the nearest knife, killed Actaeonis, and then buggered off leaving Helena to take the rap".
"Unfortunately so, however once I realised what had happened I sent someone to 'kidnap' her and bring here here to me. Using the 'Multiple C2 test' as cover, he was able to perform his duties admirably. Helena was delivered to me. Unfortunately events overtook us, leaving us in this little predicament".
Augustus' voice was becoming more difficult to hear. His eyes had taken a yellowish tinge and his lips were turning blue. With her nurses training, KayEm knew that he didn't have much time left to him.
Sensing his impending demise, Augustus rallied, desperate to confess before it was too late.
"The original chupacabras are of extra-terrestrial origin". He waited to allow this revelation to sink it before continuing. "You saw the body in the medlab. In case you aren't aware, its a 'Grey'. This particular one was discovered during the Rendlesham incident. It was alive when found, but soon succumbed to its wounds and was brought here for examination". Augustus blinked his eyes in order to regain his focus, before reaching for the cider bottle and wetting his lips.
"We've known of the Greys for years. Since Roswell, in case you're interested. They have 'helped' us at times in return for certain 'services'. Augustus coughed. Blood trickled down his chin. He started to shiver. "The original chupacabras appeared in Puerto Rico and surrounding areas", he continued, his teeth starting to chatter, "The Grey species are aware of them but see them as nothing more than a domestic animal - similar to the way we view dogs. However certain members of the military saw them as something else. A possible bio-weapon. With the aid of the greys we were able to gene-splice various DNA strands with that of the chupacabra, giving us the C2. The next stage, C3 was to include the DNA of a grey alien in order to boost the intelligence".
"Why in fex name would anyone want to do that ?", asked Pisky, "They're bad enough as they are !"
"To make them more prone to mind control", came the reply. "In order to control a creature's mind, it needs a certain level of intelligence. The C3 was designed in such a way that it could be used as an extension of the controller's will. Originally we tried to splice the DNA of a human being, but it was rejected. Hence the need for 'Grey' DNA".
Pisky rubbed his face with his hands. "This is like a fecking horror film", he muttered.
"Exactly", Augustus replied. "There was one C3 created. Unfortunately something went wrong. Not only did it obtain a hitherto unknown level of intelligence, it also grew at a phenomonal rate. It became twice the size and twice the strength of an average chupacabra".
"Let me guess - It broke out, freed all its friends from where they were locked away in the cavern, and went on a rampage"
"Elementary, my dear Watson", came the sarcastic reply.
Pisky glowered. "I assume its too much to ask for this place to have a self destruct like the Nostromo and the Enterprise ?" he asked, equally sarcastically.
"Actually, it does"
"That's a surprise". It was too, and it showed in Pisky's face.
"There's a server system in the ops room. The ... auto destruct command is ... entered there causing shaped charges to explode in the ceiling of the chupacabra cavern. These in turn ... cause a complete ceiling collapse. Thousands of tons of rock. Nothing inside ...could possibly survive".
"Excellent !", said the pixy, leaping to his feet, "Where's the ops room".
"Destroyed. Nothing left. It was the first place the Uber-chupacabra went" August winced in pain.
Pisky ranted in Cornish for a solid two minutes before finally calming himself and sitting down once again. "So what the feck do we do ???"
Augustus coughed again. Much fainter this time. His eyes were clouding. He blinked to clear his vision but to no avail. "There's ... a ... manual ... release ...", he said, his voice almost inaudible, "in the cavern".
He shivered violently. Helena moved to comfort him in in his last moments. He smiled gratefully as she took him in her arms again.
"Go directly ... to ... the right. In the cavern ... Steps upwards ... room there with ... lever. Pull it ... escape hatch above ... two minute countdown".
Pisky leaned closer, a question on his lips. "Who is your agent in Butser ?", he asked.
Augustus spoke quietly. Had it not been for Pisky's sensitive hearing, the name would have been lost to the ether.
The legate looked at the pixy, an unanswered question in his face. Pisky sat for a while wracking his brains for the correct words of absolution. It had been so long since he had heard it. He closed his eyes and the face of Fingal appeared in his mind. Turning towards the dying man, Pisky leaned towards him. "Absolvo te a peccatis tuis" he said, "I absolve you of all your sins". Augustus nooded slightly. Relief on his face. He shivered. His breathing became laboured. He reached for Helena and touched the side of her face. Her hot tears splashed onto his hand.
"I'm sorry", he said.
And with a final shudder his soul fled.
cant wait for a next one! 
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